Cuddalore, December 24 (). At least nine people were killed and several others seriously injured in a horrific road accident in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district on Wednesday night. This accident happened with a State Express Transport Corporation bus going from Tiruchi to Chennai.
According to the police, the accident occurred near Ezhuthur area on the Chennai-Tiruchi National Highway. The front tire of the bus suddenly burst, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. The bus first hit the divider, broke it and went into the other lane and collided head-on with two cars coming from the front.
The impact of the accident was so horrific that both the cars were completely damaged. Seven of the dead were traveling in these two cars. Many other people were injured in the accident, who were immediately admitted to nearby government and private hospitals. Two injured people later died during treatment, taking the death toll to nine.
Police said that the dead included four men, four women and a child. The condition of four other injured remains critical and they are undergoing intensive treatment. Due to the seriousness of the accident, there was initial difficulty in identifying some of the dead.
According to the information, Karur jeweler Rajaratinam (69), his wife Rajeshwari (57) and driver Jayakumar (45) were traveling in a car, who died on the spot. In the second car were Mubarak and Taj Birka, residents of Pillai Thanneer Pandhal area of Pudukkottai district.
Another deceased is said to be Sirajuddin, who was returning after dropping a relative who was going to Canada at the Chennai airport.
As soon as the information was received, the police reached the spot, carried out rescue operations and pulled out the bodies from the debris. Due to the accident, traffic on the national highway was disrupted for several hours. Later the situation could be normalised.
The incident is yet another tragic case in the string of fatal road accidents that have occurred on national highways in Tamil Nadu in recent times. Police have registered the case and started investigation. The administration has once again stressed on regular maintenance of vehicles and strict adherence to road safety rules.
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dsc